This is Richard Hill, founder of DNA Favorites. I don't write long, detailed blogs. My blogging style matches that of my website: clear, concise summaries with links to learn more.
I typically share these posts to my DNA Favorites Facebook page and to my RichardHillDNA accounts on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can follow me in whatever medium you prefer.
This article titled "7 Celebrities Who Discovered Wild Things About Their Family History" summarizes some of the surprises from this PBS genealogy show.
Continue reading "7 Celebrity Surprises from "Finding Your Roots""
Genetic genealogist Diahan Southard explains how to find your birth family in this Family Tree Magazine article.
Continue reading "4 Steps to Finding Your Birth Family with a DNA Test"
MyHeritage is giving away another 5,000 DNA kits, for free, to adoptees seeking to find their biological family members, and to parents and other family members looking for a child placed for adoption years ago. This is the third round of the DNA Quest program of which I was named to the Advisory Board back in 2018. You can apply from this page.
Continue reading "Great News for Adoptees and Their Families"
A mother abandoned her five children and they were adopted into different homes. Thanks to DNA testing, two sisters were reunited 78 years later.
Continue reading "Abandoned Siblings Reunited 78 Years Later"
Family Tree DNA has introduced a better way to estimate the time to a common ancestor when testing the Y chromosome. Karen Cummings explains in this blog post.
Continue reading "New Time Predictor Reports for Y-DNA Tests"
When Alex reunited with his birth family in Canada, he was shocked to discover one of the first families of freed slaves to settle in Canada.
Continue reading "A Genetic Genealogy Reunion Uncovers Slave Ancestors"
A video from a Utah TV station shares this DNA success story by interviewing both the daughter and her newly found father.
Continue reading "Adoptee Gets a Direct DNA Match to Her Birth Father"
How do you know if a grandparent DNA match is maternal or paternal? This blog post explains two tools for doing that.
Suzy tracked down her birth mother in Australia many years ago. But she had to wait for genetic genealogy to identify her father in England.
Continue reading "Adopted Womans Finds Her Siblings After More Than 60 Years"
This DNA testing success story was more complex than most. But it made for a fascinating story.
Continue reading "Search for Birth Family Leads Man Across Three Continents"
The DNA Reunion Project provides DNA kits free of charge to Holocaust survivors and their children. Now Ancestry will donate 2,500 kits.
Continue reading "Ancestry Donates 2500 Test Kits to DNA Reunion Project"
Any adoptee looking for his or her birth family should check out DNAngels. This amazing non-profit has solved thousands of cases including this one.
Left on a bench as a baby, this Holocaust survivor finally found her family at 80 through a match on MyHeritage.
Continue reading "Baby Saved from the Nazis Reunited with Family"
This huge genealogy conference returns to Salt Lake City on March 2-4, 2023. You can be there or attend virtually for free. Register for either option here.
Identical twins have the same DNA. But this unusual case sheds some unexpected light on nature vs. nurture.
Continue reading "Surprising Differences in Identical Twins Raised Apart"
A new worldwide effort to reunite Jewish families separated by the Holocaust gives free DNA kits to survivors or their children.
ThruLines suggests the common ancestors that may be responsible for a DNA match. Roberta Estes explains the tool and tests it for us.
Continue reading "How Accurate is Ancestry's ThruLines Tool?"
Louisiana made is easier for adopted adults to access their birth certificates. And this mother uploaded her DNA at age 102.
Continue reading "Adoptee Finds His 102-Year-Old Birth Mother"
Two full siblings were each adopted at birth and placed with different families. They finally found each other through a DNA test.
Continue reading "Full Siblings Placed for Adoption Find Each Other"
Another great tool at DNA Painter has been updated with further enhancements. Read about it here.
Abandoned in a garden as an infant, Tina died without knowing why. But her daughter used DNA to discover the secrets behind her mother's story.
Several DNA tests can help you solve genealogical mysteries. See this page to compare the strengths and limitations of the top five DNA testing companies. Then click the links to learn more and see current prices.
MyHeritage is having a winter sale. Their DNA test has been reduced from $89 to just $49. The sale ends soon so order now.
As more people do genetic genealogy DNA tests, some of them make shocking family discoveries. This article provides advice and support options.
Here is yet another success story from the DNA Quest program sponsored by MyHeritage.
Continue reading "DNA Quest Leads Man to Granddaughter and Brother"